FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

The Guardian Dragon Chronicles

Treasure Hunt

"Perhaps, perhaps not." Sara smiled. "Life is too short to rush,"

"I suppose..." Acorech replied.

"Well, Crystal and I should be going. After everything that has happened, you all should unwind," Sara said.

"Well, okay, yeah. It would not hurt." Crystal was somewhat taken aback that Sara spoke for both of them.

The women departed, the men bid them farewell. The doors were closed, and the four began to retire to their quarters. The north and south areas of the palace were accessible via its west and east wings respectively. As such, the first few paths of the latter were traversed by both Acorech and Kardonyth. It came time for the two to go their separate ways, but Kardonyth hesitated.

"Wait! I need to talk to you!" Kardonyth turned towards Acorech.

"After everything that has happened today, do you really want to do this now?" Acorech asked.

"After everything that happened in the couple days prior, I delayed the discussion yesterday. I will not perpetrate the same courtesy today," Kardonyth answered.

"Seriously?" Acorech sighed.

"You want to process today, I understand. However, you do not get to get off easy now that you have a lover.

"I...What?" Acorech asked.

"Have you already forgotten what you said to me back then?" Kardonyth asked.

* * *

"Getting romantically involved is ridiculous!" Acorech snapped. "You know full well that we all have an obligation to protect this entire world! Our lives have no room for love! How could you let yourself fall in love!?"

"It just happened, okay? I fell in love with her, and she fell in love with me. We are together now. It did not feel right keeping our relationship a secret, but now it seems it was a mistake to tell you!" Kardonyth responded.

"You are a fool, Kardonyth!" Acorech replied. "We are the Guardian Dragons. We have lived for hundreds of years, and may live for hundreds more. She only has one lifetime just like everyone else. Our obligation aside, we do not waste our time on love because we know better than to subject ourselves to a masochistic cycle of heartbreak after heartbreak. Have you really become so blinded by love that you have forgotten reason?"

"Well, what is the difference between a lover and a friend?" Kardonyth asked. "We all have Cid in our life now. Can you honestly say that he is and will be less of a friend in your eyes than he will be in ours? Is he the one exception to you? _He_only has one lifetime just like everyone else. The day will come when he will die. Will you not mourn his loss? If to you friends are now acceptable, but lovers are not, then you are a hypocrite!"

"He is a hero to the people as we are, our intentions are one and the same. Love is just a distraction," Acorech responded.

* * *

"You are a fool!" Acorech replied. "Do you not understand? I said those things out of spite, because I was envious. I cannot say if heartbreak is a worse pain then solitude, but the latter was overwhelming, frustrating. I believe Sara and I are fated to be together, but..."

"But is it all for nothing if in the end the inevitable is still inevitable?" Kardonyth finished.

"Exactly!" Acorech exclaimed.

"Fate is 'fated' to be whatever fate is," Kardonyth explained. "We may subject fate to our own beliefs of how it should be defined, what it should be, but that is just presumptuous. Objectively, fate is ambiguous. Two people whose relationship ultimately fails, are believed that they were not fated to be together. However, would people not end up together in the first place if it was not their fate to be together? Two people fated to be together does not necessarily mean they are meant to be together forever, does it? It would seem fate it up to interpretation."

"Fate is objective, its truth is infallible. We just have to see clearly enough to see exactly what that truth is. What about you? What do you see? Do you believe you and Crystal are truly fated, are destined for indefinite companionship? I believe that a relationship that is doomed to fail is not worth pursuing in the first place. I believed in waiting for the revelation of my soul mate before allowing myself to love, and I finally received my answer," Acorech remarked.

"People love us as heroes. Do people love us romantically? We have lived for hundreds of years. I have seen many, many have seen us. I have never fallen in love before, and Crystal is the first to declare love for someone like us. We have a human body, but not a human soul. Not being wholly human, we are, essentially, less than human. I do not know when there will be others like her and Sara for Calic and Alakin, but I know Crystal and I are meant to be! That is why there has to be a way to erase mortality! Yes, Cid, extremely knowledgeable in countless things, has said that there is absolutely no way, but there has to be! I meant what I said. You do not get to get off easy now that you have a lover. For Sara's sake, you are going to help me find that way! Crystal and I have been together far longer than you and Sara, but you two are getting married first!? I will only accept that if Crystal and I can finally get married ourselves! The strength I have to delay our marriage is the only thing preserving my resolve to not give up!" Kardonyth exclaimed.

"You could be right. Two people fated to be together may not mean forever. I still feel longevity is like a curse. I could not in good conscience subject Sara to having to unnaturally outlive her friends and her family. Not to mention the potential pain of losing us. We may not age, but we can still perish from fatal wounds. Do not forget that," Acorech replied.

"Is that not what marriage is? Two lives becoming one so that all is shared, including burdens and pains?" Kardonyth asked. "How can you intend to get married without intending for your lover to share your agelessness and everything it entails? What you are basically saying is that you do not want to spend the rest of your life with her which makes marriage meaningless. Besides, like marriage itself, this is not just your decision to make. If she chooses immortality, who are you to deny her that? You have to talk things over with her, but in the meantime, you have to at least do this for Crystal and I. Even if the words you spoke were empty, they still warrant that much."

"Please do not make this about me. This is about you. Do not be a hypocrite! You have no right to lecture me about unilateral decisions when that is exactly what you are making! Day after day you and Crystal visit each other instead of living together. All she wants is to be married to you, and you deny her that!" Acorech snapped.

"What I do, I do because I love her!" Kardonyth yelled.

"Do you love her enough to make her happy?" Acorech asked. "You are breaking her heart, and if you make her wait any longer, I fear her love for you will be lost. She is not getting any younger! What time she has left she wants to spend it all with you!"

"Then what better than to ensure she has all the time in the world?" Kardonyth questioned.

"Get your head out of your ass!" Acorech snapped. "Is the only way you can motivate yourself to persevere is to hold your marriage hostage? If you truly believe you can find a way, then you would have to believe it can be found in Crystal's lifetime. If you believe what you say you believe, then there is nothing to worry about. Day after day you and Crystal visit each other instead of just living together! There is no problem with getting married before finding what you are looking for. You have been too stubborn to see you could have been married this whole time!"

"No!" Kardonyth cried. "Being married means spending our lives together, but what kind of life is that if I spend more time on my mission than with her? At least now, I can afford to spend more time accomplishing what I have set out to do. I am haunted by this undertaking. I admit that I am obsessed, but that should serve as a testament to how much I love Crystal!"

"I will offer what fresh, new perspective that I can, but only if you agree to marry Crystal as soon as possible. That is my condition," Acorech replied.

"Fine, okay. I accept those terms." Kardonyth sighed.

"Then it is settled," Acorech responded. "Synchronicity is imperative. I need to know everything you know. Yet, it is best to pursue this undertaking after recuperating. I have heard you out, but the rest will have to wait until tomorrow."

"Very well, then," Kardonyth replied. "I will tell you what I know, but not what I think. Your perspective will be uninfluenced."

The two adjourned, and went off to prepare themselves for their reunion.

Kardonyth felt thick anxiety circulate throughout his body. He had successfully enlisted the help of Acorech, but he wondered if success would be the result. Tendrils of doubt corrupted his confidence. He was also scrutinizing himself. He was not sure if not succeeding on his own meant he was a failure. He did not know what it would mean for another to do what he himself could not for his love. If he himself could not save his own love from the clutches of mortality, then perhaps they are not fated to be perpetual lovers after all. Failure might mean he is unworthy of her love in the first place. Whirlwinds of thoughts danced all across his mind. His mind became more consumed by his obsession. Tension was high, and he was unable to relax. He could not rest, knowing that the one he knew to be his soul mate was doomed to die. He curled up on his bed, eyes wide open.

Acorech was nagged by a strange sensation, a feeling of awkwardness. He himself had been unconscious for more of the past couple of days than he should have. It was not even midday yet, and he was going to go back to sleep. He wondered exactly how exhausted the others were, and worried about how exhausted he was. His feelings about being a Guardian Dragon continued to be a clash between enthusiasm and apathy. He was unnerved by the thought that exhaustion could be so persistent, not knowing what that meant for the future. He feared for the remaining hours of the day, not knowing if any other crises would occur. He threw himself upon his bed, clutched the sheets, and closed his eyes.

The hours came and went. For the slumbering Acorech, they had passed as if they were seconds; for the sleepless Kardonyth, they passed as if they were days. The latter knew that the anticipated time had arrived when he heard knocking on his door.

"Come on in," Kardonyth said as he opened the door.

"How do you hope to prove Cid wrong?" Acorech inquired.

"I think Cid is a fool," Kardonyth responded. "He dismisses anything regarded as legend or myth. They are not all fiction. Some turn out to be true. Once upon a time, dragons were just a myth. Our existence turned fantasy into reality."

"Yes, okay. Now tell me something I do not already know," Acorech replied.

"There are legends of magical stones that can grant agelessness," Kardonyth answered as he amassed documents in his hands. "Letters, maps, even whole books related to these stones. Unfortunately, at this point everything is conjecture as not a single stone has been found." Kardonyth handed all the papers and books to Acorech.

"I know I said our minds should be as one, but do I really have to read all this?" Acorech asked.

"You want to know everything I know? That is everything," Kardonyth answered.

"So be it," Acorech replied.

"That is why I wanted to get started right away yesterday." Kardonyth sighed.

"It would not have done us any good if I was struggling to focus on all this. Now, I can focus," Acorech responded.

"All that is pieces of a puzzle. I have tried over and over again to put the pieces together, but I have failed repeatedly," Kardonyth stated.

"Now that I have Sara in my life, I do not want to have a life without her. I will give this endeavor a try- but only one," Acorech said.

"Understood," Kardonyth

Acorech planted himself on the floor and spread everything out around him. He carefully read everything, but had no epiphany. He then paced around the room while reading everything, and was yet unsuccessful. He continued to pace, and placed his hands on his head, sighing. He knew that Kardonyth was using him. He knew that Kardonyth was using his fate to ensure that his own was desirable. It was a gamble, a long shot. Kardonyth's love for Crystal grew more desperate with each passing day. That was just who he was. He was passionate to a fault. He was driven by extreme extroversion.

* * *

"Cid can be our ally, but can he be our friend?" Acorech asked.

"Why not?" Kardonyth asked back. "He shows interest in being a friend, shouldn't we reciprocate?"

"It would seems so, but he seems... 'guarded.'" Acorech asked. "Does he sincerely intend to open up to us?"

"We are one and the same," Kardonth replied.

"He is also a hero indeed, but he chose that life, we did not," Acorech retorted. "We are this world's heroes first and foremost. We should be aware of anything pertaining to its welfare. I believe he is always preoccupied when he does not go out to serve someone, but claiming his work must be kept a secret even from us is something I am having trouble accepting."

"His business is his business. Do not let your mind be preoccupied with trivial matters!" Kardonyth snapped. "Aren't you tired of it being just the four of us? Don't you want as much normalcy as we can afford? Cid is the first person who desires for us to be more than just heroes, he desires us to be friends. Malevolence is perpetrated, we end it, we return to our simple lives. For our heroism, for our work, people pay us, but people use us. They rely on us for security, but they do not look beyond our reputation. Being a hero is a lonely life, and now we finally have someone to share that life with. There is no reason we cannot adopt him into our brotherhood!"

"All I am saying is that it is unfriendly to interject himself into our business, but not return the favor." Acorech answered.

"I trust him," Kadonyth replied.

"I hope he can be our friend," Acorech responded.

* * *

Acorech needed to give his mind a break. He excused himself for some fresh air, and then a bath. His mind lingered on thoughts of Sara. There was not many. He reminisced about the past couple days. He wished he could still hold onto the life they lived together. He continued to mediate on his affection, but soon realized the breakthrough he was hoping for. He brought his bath to an abrupt conclusion, and clothed himself with haste. Returning to the research, he confronted Kardonyth with his revelation.

"The stones are not literal," Acorech said. "It didn't cross my mind at first, but to preserve treasures, locations are often obscured with poetry and riddles."

"Okay?" Kardonyth asked. "What have you figured out?"

"What is hard as stone, and holds the power of life?" Acorech asked.

Kardonyth contemplated the question as if he were sampling a wine. "An egg?" he guessed.

"Yeah," Acorech replied. "It is no secret that embryonic fluid has rejuvenative properties, but alchemists theorize that the fluid from one particular egg can stop the aging process."

"Yeah?" Kardonyth asked.

"What do you think that egg is of?" Acorech asked.

"Stop beating around the bush!" Kardonyth snapped.

"No need to be salty," Acorech grumbled. "A phoenix."

"That would mean that when looking at the maps, we should be looking for where a phoenix would reside," Kardonyth replied.

"Phoenixes are a logical conclusion to come to, but they don't exist," Acorech responded.

"People used to say the same of us," Kardonyth rebutted.

"Enough with that kind of talk," Acorech sighed. "Yes, we were fantasy before we became reality. That is the point, but you are missing it. People did not believe in our existence, because we did not yet exist. Our time did come eventually. Besides, we are not dragons, we are half dragon. I hate to be pessimistic, but it is the truth. Our creation was not natural. I do not know who created us, but I believe 'he' did. There is no valid argument that phoenixes exist, because they yet do not. When they do, we will know. According to Cid's explanation of Mana, it must reach a certain level before certain things come into existence."

"What if, hypothetically, a Phoenix from another world arrived here?" Kardonyth asked.

"It would be as a 'fish out of water.' Could anything flourish in an environment it is not meant to be?" Acorech asked back.

"We are not supposed to be philosophically debating, we are trying to preserve the life of who we love," Kardonyth retorted.

"Then let us review the maps, and see what results they yield," Acorech replied.

"Yes, let's," Kardonyth affirmed.

The two knelt on the floor with all the maps spread out between them. Their eyes danced a ballet of exploration as they sought to find clarity in a sea of enigma. After just a few minutes, Acorech began to rearrange the maps.

What are you doing?" Kardonyth asked.

"The bigger picture," Acorech blurted out.

"What?" Kardonyth questioned.

"These maps are regional, but they are supposed to contain a location where the 'treasure' theoretically has been, or is?" Acorech inquired.

"Yes," Kardonyth answered. "No markings or annotations, but they are supposed to work in conjunction with the writings."

"Please tell me you thought to attain a world map," Acorech replied.

"As a matter of fact, I did," Kardonyth assured. He stood up, retrieved it, and placed it before Acorech.

"Pen?" Acorech requested.

"What is this about?" Kardonyth asked.

"Pen now, answer later," Acorech responded.

Kardonyth sighed as he retrieved a pen for Acorech.

"In case you did not know, 'Phoenix' is one the constellations," Acorech answered. "If you mark each area the maps depict on a world map, they markings form that exact constellation. Coincidence? I think not."

"Okay... so we have confirmation... but that still does not provide precise, exact locations. Any insight?" Kardonyth was anxious, and struggled to find words.

"Nope. We will have to search the maps' areas in their entirety. At least the areas are not that large." Acorech said.

"There are over a dozen maps!" Kardonyth exclaimed.

"We have a busy day ahead of us," Acorech retorted.

"Very well, then. Let's not waste anytime!" Kardonyth dashed out the room, heading straight for the entrance.

"Wait for me, damn it!" Acorech shouted, running after him.

Kardonyth opened the doors ready to run out, but killed his momentum. It had just occurred to him that early morning had soon become late morning. Right in front of him was Crystal and Sara.

"Is this a bad time?" Sara asked.

"Yes-No-Yes-There is hope for us yet, Crystal!" Kardonyth exclaimed. "Acorech solved the puzzle. Genuine longevity is nigh!"

"What?" Sara asked.

"Kardonyth has been hellbent on finding a way to escape death, so we may be together forever. He went as far as to indefinitely postpone our marriage until such a way was found," Crystal answered.

"That is horrible!" Sara exclaimed.

Kardonyth, chagrined, looked away. Acorech caught up. Sara looked at him.

"Please tell me that you were not considering delaying our marriage as well," Sara said.

"Heavens, no!" Acorech exclaimed. "Do you honestly think that?"

"I just had to be extra certain," Sara replied.

"Well, the wait is over. The sooner Acorech and I leave to retrieve the stones, the sooner we can put all this behind us," Kardonyth said.

"So we came over here for nothing?" Sara asked.

"Aw, don't be rude. I'm sure the others would enjoy the company of you two," Kardonyth said.

"So you are really going on this... 'errand?'" Calic questioned with disapproval. "What if something... extreme happens?"

"Let's hope no one like Rak surfaces," Kardonyth answered. "Petty crime is boring, but I'll take it any day."

"My assistance will no doubt expedite the process," Acorech stated.

Acorech and Kardonyth transformed, then flew off to accomplish their objective. They decided to search the farthest areas first. They knew that they would not want to fly longer distances back due to their inevitable exhaustion. When they arrived at the first area, they wasted no time in getting started. They analyzed everything in sight as they covered the entire area, but nothing was found.

"There is nothing here!" Kardonyth shouted. "How can that be!?"

"It would seem that the idea of there being multiple 'stones' is just as false. We will find the right location eventually," Acorech assured.

"Right," Kardonyth breathed.

The two continued searching the areas one-by-one. Acorech explored them with the same level of precision, but Kardonyth grew desperate with each failure. They finished searching the final area, and stood in the center of the area in shock and disbelief. All their labor was yet unfruitful.

"This is the last location, and nothing! How can that be!?" Kardonyth shouted. "We looked literally everywhere! We were so close! Where did we go wrong!? Something is not right! This entire day has been spent in vain!"

"We gave it our best effort." Acorech sighed. "There is nothing more that we can do."

"There has to be!" Kardonyth exclaimed.

"It's night. It's time to retire," Acorech replied.

The two returned to their residence. Sara and Crystal were gone. Calic and Alakin did not bother to come down to the main area to greet them. The silence exacerbated the tension. Acorech and Kardonyth went their separate ways, and returned to their rooms. Kardonyth wallowed in despair. Acorech peered out of the room's small window up at the night sky. He appreciated the stars, and even gave more thought to the constellations. The moon caught his attention, and he began to admire its beauty. It shed light on the reason for the lack of success. Acorech sprinted out of his room, down to Kardonyth's. The door was assaulted by vivacious knocks, and opened with apathetic execution.

"Let me see that world map again!" Acorech commanded.

"Why? What is the point?" Kardonyth pouted.

"The maps' ambiguity is just as much of a diversion as the documents' metaphors. There was no specific location because the maps were never supposed to depict that. 'Phoenix' is not the destination, it is the key!" Acorech exclaimed. "Stars in and of themselves are not like a phoenix. When you think astrologically, the one thing that metaphorically epitomizes a phoenix is the moon. What makes a phoenix a phoenix is its ability to begin anew. If we calculate the position of moon at the beginning of its cycles in relation to the 'Phoenix' constellation, then transcribe that point onto the world map, we will have pinpointed the destination we have been seeking."

Kardonyth rushed to grab the world map, a notebook, and a pen. He and Acorech solved the final piece of their puzzle. The final dot on the map was placed. "We get a good night's rest, then we depart for this mysterious destination!" he asserted.

To be continued...